A Lonely Lady
by Betty BOKOR
Summary: SamDaniel. Daniel feels lonely and tries to find a solution. Sam offers her help and their relationship changes in a very meaningful way.
1. Chapter 1

**A Lonely Lady** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel is feeling lonely and tries to find a solution.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**A Lonely Lady**

**Chapter 1**

For the last few months Daniel had found it harder and harder to go back home in the evenings. He could not pinpoint the exact moment when it had become that bad, but there was no going back. Though he had pulled all-nighters and stayed remarkably late at the SGC for years, it had always been due to the excessive load of work he had had as the head of two of the most important departments of the Stargate Program, Linguistics and Historical Research. Now, he was making up reasons not to go home.

He was not sure what had driven him to buy a new house –perhaps the memories of Sarah/Osiris attacking him in his bedroom– save for the need to avoid living again in a cramped apartment. However, his new house was big, too big. He had recently read an article in the newspaper about the tendency in the United States to buy bigger homes for smaller families, but he did not even have a family. He actually did not have anyone.

Jack had been his best friend since his return from Abydos, but Jack had been slowly distancing himself from the members of SG-1 right in front of him. After so many years of complaining about the establishment, Jack was now one of the most visible heads of that establishment and, no matter how many times he tried to justify it by assuring them that it was the best way to keep them in business, Daniel kept feeling it as a sort of betrayal. Daniel might not be the same idealistic man that had crossed the gate for the first time –the incident with Khalek had proven that to him beyond any doubt– but he still maintained a high set of standards for his relationships. What hurt him the most and had clearly cooled his friendship with Jack, in spite of his sporadic calls and visits to the SGC, had been how "the general" –as they usually called him now– had treated Sam. Everybody in the program knew –and Daniel better than anyone else– that Jack had _cultivated _for years an "it's not possible now, but we can get there if we wait" relationship with Sam. The flirting, the looks, the pauses, the brief moments they spent in silence, just communicating something not understood by the others, had become more often and more public with the years, right up until when, finally, the rules and regulations had suddenly allowed space for a true relationship. Right then and there, everything had stopped. Now, Jack was in Washington and there had been nothing, nothing at all, that could have encouraged Sam to have hopes for a future with him. Daniel had gradually seen resignation replace Sam's dreams and, even though at the beginning she had been willing to talk about it with him, lately she had closed the door on the subject and had stopped discussing it at all. Daniel could not stand to see the pain in her eyes.

Sam was also as good a friend as Jack, but friends do not wait for you at home after a hard day at work or warm you up at night. Daniel could see how the whole Prometheus/Pete incident had resulted from a wake up call from Sam's mind to remind her that she was throwing away her chances at being a mother –and Daniel knew she wanted to have that opportunity– and at having a "normal" family. She had discarded that chance with Pete in the hopes of getting Jack, but Agent Johnson, first, and Jack's silence, later, had demolished those hopes. Daniel was sure that Sam, sooner or later, would find someone else to occupy that space in her life and, then, he would be on his own. It would be hard to spend the evening watching movies and sharing take-out with your best friend, when she had her own husband and children to take care of her.

Teal'c had been at the beginning an improbable friend, but with time the bond between him and Daniel had deepened and strengthened beyond what either one of them had expected. Daniel was certain that nobody understood him better than Teal'c and also knew that he could see through to Teal'c's soul better than any of their friends. Most of the time they did not need words to communicate and, every time they shared a session of Kelno'reem, Daniel felt the connection deepen. Unfortunately (for Daniel), Teal'c had a role to play in the new Jaffa nation and also a possible future with Ishta; that meant Teal'c's time on Earth was running out.

Who else was there in Daniel's life? He certainly had no hope of ever seeing his grandfather alive again, Catherine and Ernest were long dead, and Cassie had started her own independent life after entering college. Though Sam and Daniel tried to fill the void Janet's death had left in Cassie's life, she did not see them as any more than dear friends. That left Cameron Mitchell, with whom Daniel had started a solid friendship. He liked the ever-positive attitude of the new leader of SG-1 and he enjoyed his frankness; it was uplifting after years of Jack's "I'm dumb" game. However, Daniel knew Cam's secret; he was crazily in love with General's Landry's daughter, Dr. Carolyn Lam, and he would not rest until he had conquered all the barriers that the troubled doctor had erected around herself.

Daniel could see how soon all his friends would have lives beyond the SGC. What he could not see was how he was going to get one for himself. He needed to fill the void, but he was not ready to throw himself into the dating arena. He had never had difficulty meeting women; he evidently had the good looks that ensured he would be noticed, especially after his years at the SGC gym. The shyness that had been part of his personality in his early years was almost not noticeable anymore. Seen too much; done too much. He simply did not feel like dating; he did not want to have to lie to anyone close to him about his daily life at work.

In his worse moments of desperation he even missed Vala. She had been annoying and insufferably brash, but she had brought some kind of freshness to their lives. She was different. She was passionate. She had singled him out among all the other men at the Prometheus –even the members of SG-3– and, in spite of all the jokes his friends loved to make, he had defeated her, he had overpowered her and retaken control of the ship. She had not escaped from him; she had escaped from the cell and the guards the military had imposed on her. Then she had come back looking for him. After she had been burned to death and come back to life in his arms, Daniel had seen another side of Vala, the vulnerable, pained side of her, the one she so carefully hid from everybody else. Now, he was feeling so lonely that he would have settled for her.

Late in the afternoon one Friday, on his way home, he spotted a small nursing home, less than five miles from his house. He had seen it before, but today an idea had crossed his mind after seeing it. How many other lonely people lived in there? Maybe if he could help one of them, he would find his life outside the SGC less useless. He drove home, changed into some comfortable and casual clothes, picked up a couple of interesting books, and went back toward the nursing home.

They received him with open arms. A volunteer? Most certainly welcome. He filled out a couple of forms and he was on his way to see Dottie, a seventy-eight year old lady who was recovering from hip surgery. Confined in her room during her recovery, she had not had much company in the last days. Daniel walked confidently to her room and soon he was talking animatedly with the old lady. She was curious about his life and he related his cover story as he had learned it at the SGC.

The following weeks became special for Daniel. He looked forward to seeing Dottie all week long. Their Friday meetings turned into the highlight of his week. For a month and a half he was able to keep his appointment with her. They read books together; they talked about the news from around the world, and, when her health allowed it, they took nice walks under the fall-colored trees in the yard of the nursing home.

On his seventh week, Daniel was off-world with no chances of coming back on time for his date. He laboriously worked to convince Walter Harriman to take his place, until the sergeant finally agreed. Daniel vowed that he would schedule a replacement for himself every week, in case he could not make it.

When he saw Dottie on his eighth date, she was curious about what an interpreter with the Air Force could have to do on a Friday night.

"You have to tell me, Daniel. I understand; you're a young man and I'm sure she's a pretty lady. Why would you stand her up to come see this old woman?"

Daniel patiently explained, one more time, that he had not skipped his visit to go out on a date. He even added that he was not seeing anyone and that he had no plans for it. That was the beginning of the disaster. Dottie and her friends –who had progressively started to join them for their evenings together– initiated a fierce campaign to find a girlfriend for Daniel. "No way such a beauty of a man should go untaken," one of them had justified their efforts. They set him up for blind dates with doctors, nurses, administrative personnel, and even delivery ladies at the nursing home. Then they started throwing daughters, nieces, granddaughters, and former neighbors in the mix. Daniel felt he spent more time dodging dates than working for the SGC. He finally came with a plan to fix his problems; it was true that he was feeling lonely, but he wanted to find the right woman on his own.

"Sam, I need your help, desperately," he told his best friend one morning at the base cafeteria.

"All right. What do you need?" Sam asked with a smile looking at true desperation in Daniel's eyes.

"You know I've been visiting an old lady at the nursing home near my house for the last teen weeks, right?" he asked and Sam nodded. "Well, everything was going great; I enjoyed very much going there every Friday after work. Dottie is a very smart lady and her friends are very agreeable. We read books, watched movies, talked; I even took five of them to a restaurant one night and we had a great meal. It was perfect, until-"

"Until what?" Sam was curious to know.

"Until they decided to get me married."

"With one of them?" Sam thought to ask.

"No. They've been introducing me to all these nice women, of varying ages and professions, and setting me up in blind dates. I don't think they have anything else to do!" Sam had to make an effort to keep from laughing. She thought it was very funny how hard Daniel was taking it. "All the dates have been fine; I've met some very smart, beautiful, or interesting women in the last month."

"So, what's the problem?"

"The same as always. I cannot talk about my past, because they would find out about why I left my former job, think 'That's the crazy guy who thought the aliens landed on the pyramids', and run away."

"But you were right, Daniel," Sam interrupted.

"I cannot tell them that, either. I cannot explain what I really do for the Air Force, nor things like why this week I came in with a head injury. I have to lie all the time and no relationship is going to survive that."

"I know."

"That's why I need your help."

"What can I do?"

"I need you to come with me this Friday."

"Okay," Sam said with some hesitation, thinking that she would have to lie, too.

"You don't have to do anything; just go with me. I told Dottie that I had a friend, a colonel in the Air Force, and that I was thinking of exploring that relationship before engaging in more dating. You don't have to fake anything. I only said you were my best friend, not my girlfriend. I said I thought I had feelings for you, not you for me, so you just need to be my friend, as always. Is that all right?"

"Sure," Sam agreed.

"Great. Tomorrow evening, after work, I'll go pick you up at your house and drive you to the nursing home. Then, I'll take you back home. Thank you!" he finished, standing up and picking up all their waste from the table.

Sam sat there for a while longer, amused at the mess her friend had gotten himself into and wondering if this would help get him out of it.

Daniel started his next visit with Dottie by introducing Sam. Soon, the room was full of ladies who wanted to meet the girl who was troubling their Daniel's heart. They all enjoyed the visit. Sam proved to be an intelligent and kind woman and all the ladies gave their approval. Right after Daniel and Sam left, they started planning how they would ensure that the two ended up together.

Sam also enjoyed the visit. She hadn't expected to; actually, she had had no expectations at all for the visit. She was happily surprised. When they left the nursing home, she had a feeling of accomplishment, a feeling that they had done something positive with their day.

On the way to her house, they stopped at a small Italian restaurant and picked some take-out pasta for dinner. The days were becoming colder and warm food was a comforting thought.

After dinner was finished, Sam and Daniel sat on the carpet in her living room and started looking at her big pile of DVDs, searching for something they had not watched. Near midnight, they finished with the second movie and Sam relaxed on her end of the couch. She gave a deep sigh.

"What?" Daniel asked with a smile.

"This… This is so comfortable. Come home from work, have a nice dinner, relax, talk about interesting stuff with an intelligent partner-"

"Yeah, I enjoy it, too," Daniel said still smiling.

"But then we go our separate ways. Some days, I want someone who stays, who can snuggle in the cold nights and-" Sam sat up straight and looked at Daniel in the eyes. "You'll think I'm not too deep, but sometimes I really miss making love, you know, the comfort that it brings, the sensation of being alive and not alone anymore."

"I don't think that's shallow. I see it that way, too. I've always seen sex as the ultimate way of comfort, when you love someone so deeply that you give everything. That can quiet many pains."

Sam smiled at him. He was never judgmental of her; he always found something positive in everything she said. "Do you miss it, too, or you have- I'm sorry, that's none of my business. I shouldn't have asked,"

"Sam, it's all right. We already know so much about each other. I do; I miss it. I don't believe in casual sex and I don't believe that I would die if I don't have it. I just miss it. Like you said; it gets pretty cold some nights, and I'm not talking about winter."

"Do you still miss Sha're?"

"Yes, but it's not even Sha're anymore. She's been gone for too long. It's the sensation, the idea of deep connection, of sharing."

"After her?"

"Not much after Sha're. Well, you do remember Hathor, of course, but I never count her. Then, there was that night with Ke'ra," he sighed. "I really liked her; I felt she was extraordinary-" he smiled at Sam's expression. "Yeah, I know, _Destroyer of Worlds_, but Ke'ra was pure; she hadn't been there. We really needed each other that night; she was lost without her memory and I was lost without Sha're."

"I understand, Daniel. Don't think I'm judging you."

"I know and I appreciate it. But going back to my list –very short list– I only have to add Sarah. By the time you were dating Pete, we spent a couple of weeks together."

"I didn't know," Sam said surprised.

"Nobody knew, except General Hammond and your dad." Sam was even more surprised. "The Tok'ra thought she needed to spend some time with someone who knew her from before and after, and I was the only candidate. Making love came naturally; it was good for both of us. She needed to feel that she was fully human again, a beautiful and desirable woman, and I needed to be sure that Osiris was gone, that Sarah was back, that we had really saved her. It was very comforting. Then, she was taken by the Tok'ra for a while, to save her from the N.I.D., and now she's doing better and she doesn't need me anymore."

"I'm sorry, Daniel."

"No, don't be. I was not _in love_ with her anymore; I just loved her and we needed each other at that time."

"Ah, sometimes I think that with these hard lives we have, we deserve at least to have someone who loves us, but I suppose we are not that different from anyone else."

"Well, we love each other. That's pretty good," Daniel said squeezing her arm.

"If we could have a little bit more-"

"You mean _us_? You and I together or you and I with someone else each?"

"I've lost hope of finding someone else any time soon," she smiled nervously. "Sometimes, I think –nothing complicated– just if we could-"

"If we could get to the point of making love without getting into a formal relationship?" Sam didn't move; she was afraid of answering. "I've thought about it," Daniel said more casually than she could have ever imagined.

"You have?"

"Well, it's kind of logical. We don't have many other people around us, we love each other deeply, and in nights like this, when we are both feeling sad and lonely, we could do much good to each other."

"You never said anything."

"There are negatives to it, too, Sam. You know. I wouldn't want it to destroy our friendship. You are too important to me. We may not enjoy it, not even like it a bit; perhaps there's not enough physical attraction to make it work. I wouldn't want awkwardness between us afterwards. And," he made an expressive pause, "we are not 'in love' with each other, and if one of us found that other special person, it could hurt the feelings of the other one."

"You really have thought about it."

"Yes, but you see why it's dangerous. That's why I have never brought it up."

Sam was quiet for a minute, thinking about his words, when he got up and started picking up his things. "Now, it's time for me to let you have some rest. This has been a hard week for all of us and we need to be ready for Monday. It's not going to get better." He already had his coat on; he leaned and kissed Sam on the forehead. "Thank you for coming with me today, Sammy, and thank you for the company tonight. It was a great night."

Before she could even come out of her surprise, he was gone. She picked up the rest of the stuff that was out of place and went to bed giving a new perspective to old thoughts. Her bed seemed colder than ever.


	2. Chapter 2

**A Lonely Lady** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel is feeling lonely and tries to find a solution.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**A Lonely Lady**

**Chapter 2**

The week at the SGC was as hard as Daniel had predicted; the battle against the Ori was complicated and there was not much respite. When on Friday afternoon Sam offered to go with Daniel to the nursing home, he felt happy that she was willing to share again the experience with him. The visit went very well; Sam and Daniel felt very comfortable with the old ladies and behaved as the good friends they were. After they left, the residents of the home initiated a betting pool about what the future would bring to the young couple.

Even though Sam had been cheerful during the visit, as soon as they got in the car she became serious and kept quiet.

"You're very pensive tonight. Are you all right?" Daniel asked her after they had gotten some take-out dinner.

"I'm fine. It's just that the doctor that came with Dottie's medicines reminded me of Janet. It's going to be two years on Sunday, you know?"

"I remember, Sam. I could not forget. We should call Cassie and see how she's doing."

"Let's do that after dinner, okay?"

"Okay."

They drove silently the rest of the way to Sam's house. They ate mostly in silence, both lost in thought. After dinner they called Cassie and the mood went even darker. Cassie had evidently been crying and Sam and Daniel felt helpless to comfort her through a simple telephone line. Sam had tried to be closer to her during her assignment at Area 51, but she had ended up feeling like she was intruding in Cassie's life. Besides, she was not sure it was a good idea to try to get so close to the young woman; after all, Sam was putting her life in mortal danger every week and Cassie did not need to mourn for another mother. Two was more than enough.

Sam came out of her thoughts when she noticed Daniel was starting to pick up his things.

"Stay," she said softly.

"Okay," he answered in a tone that showed his reservations. "I'll help you pick everything up; you go get a couple of blankets and a pillow and I'll make myself comfortable here in this sofa."

"All right," Sam said and went to look for the bedding.

Half an hour later they were both ready to sleep and the house was in complete silence, but neither could close an eye. Right after midnight, Daniel heard some soft sobbing coming from Sam's room. He got up and walked toward the sound. When he reached the door of her bedroom, he confirmed his suspicions. Sam was crying. She probably had been crying for a while. He knocked softly on the door and, with the confidence that comes from knowing a friend very well, he opened the door just enough to be heard.

"Sam, how can I help you?"

She did not answer but her sobs slightly increased in volume. He opened the door more widely and got into the room slowly. A small night-light was on and Sam's silhouette was visible sitting against the back of her bed. He approached her, sat by her side, and stretched his arms to enclose her in a hug. She leaned her head on his shoulder and kept crying. He stroked her back for a long time, comforting her the only way he could, knowing that there was so much pain in Sam that needed to be released. Later on, Sam started to calm down and soon she dozed off in Daniel's arms. He carefully moved her into a more comfortable position and lay by her side, without letting her go.

Sometime after four in the morning, Sam woke up. She was feeling very comfortable but the room was getting colder. She sleepily stretched her arm to reach a blanket she had put on top of the chair by her bedside, when she noticed the other body in her bed. She opened her eyes and under the soft light of the night-light she recognized Daniel's face. She remembered crying herself to sleep while he held her. She still had her head on his chest and he was still holding her. She was certain his left arm would be in serious pain in the morning.

She softly nudged him and woke him up.

"Daniel, get under the covers; it's getting cold."

He blinked a couple of times. He could not see that well; his glasses were on the nightstand. "I'll go back to the sofa."

"No, you can stay. Just get under the covers; I don't want to be responsible for you being frozen in the morning. This is an old house and you know how it gets."

He had clear memories of other nights when he had waken up freezing up in the sofa. He obediently got up and then got under the covers. As soon as he did, Sam put her head back on his chest. Then she put her left hand right by the side of her face and gently caressed him.

"We should try. At least once. See what happens. If it doesn't work, we forget all about it,"

Daniel needed a second to understand what she was talking about. He felt a bolt of fear run up his spine. So many important things hung in the balance.

"Sam…"

She quickly moved out of his chest and turned her back to him. "It's all right. We don't have to do anything that you don't want."

He reached toward her and touched her shoulder. "Sam, it's not that I don't want to; it's that you're feeling sad, depressed, and vulnerable, and I cannot take advantage of that."

"And you're not feeling the same way? That's exactly why we have to do it. Have you thought what awaits us on Monday? This is getting worse and worse. Every time we cross the gate now, we are not peaceful explorers anymore; we are in the middle of a battle with a very powerful enemy that is not even concealing itself. The Ori are expecting us and it's getting harder and harder to defeat them in this game." He gently pulled her so that she turned back to face him. She had tears in her eyes and he felt terribly guilty. "You don't understand, Daniel, but I have all this love inside of me, this tenderness, this desire to give, to embrace, to caress, and it's being wasted. It's wrong. If I die tomorrow it would be gone, unused, untouched. I just need to share it and you are the person that deserves it the most. You have even thought about it."

"Sam, it's not a matter of deserving. I'm not the man you're in love with-"

"You too think I'm in love with Jack? Daniel, how long do you think a woman can wait for a man to decide if he loves her? Yes, it's true, I wanted it to happen and I played with the idea for years, but the rules and regulations were clear. Then, all the obstacles vanished and, still, nothing happened. I even tried to push it myself… I've closed the door to that possibility. I had never let the feelings take root; just in case, you know?" Daniel nodded in understanding. "Just in case," Sam continued, "a jaffa blew his head off. Just in case Laira came back from the past and claimed him. Just in case he crossed paths with Sara and he had the courage to admit to himself that he still loved her. Just in case it was just all a game." She sighed and Daniel drew her closer to him. "I don't know which was the case, but the truth is that he didn't come running to me as soon as he was free to do it and I had to stop torturing myself."

"Ah, Sammy…"

"What?"

"I'm afraid."

"Of what?"

"You're such a talented, beautiful woman. I could just fall in love with you so easily."

"And that would be bad how?"

"Without even thinking about the consequences at work, a one-sided feeling could destroy our friendship and you are the raft I hang on to in the worst of tides."

"You're presupposing that it would be one-sided. You too are special, intelligent, handsome, and caring. I could as easily fall in love with you."

"And then?"

"And then we'd see. Why worry now?" Daniel sighed skeptically and Sam added with a smile in her voice, "Thank you for the raft thing. That was cute." Daniel relaxed a little and Sam sensed his change. "Let's go back to sleep. I'm sorry that I brought this up. You must be the only guy who has had to argue comfort sex with his best friend."

Daniel smiled at the idea of other guys' best friends having that kind or argument –he was sure not many had a 'Sam' for best friend– and said, "Don't worry. You and I, we are the kind that discusses everything."

"In the morning I can even try to find the kitchen and make you breakfast," Sam added.

"What do you mean? This is _your _house."

"I know," Sam said with a little laugh.

"Not there often, ah?"

"Not really," she openly laughed.

"Then, I promise I'll make the breakfast," Daniel said smiling and tightening the embrace on her. She snuggled against his chest and he kissed the top of her head.

Sam would never be able to recall the first minutes with clarity. One moment, she was about to go back to sleep; seconds later, she was tangled in a heap with Daniel. She might have not remembered how it had began, but she knew exactly how it had ended. Perfectly. Marvelously. Fabulously. She could think of many other adverbs, but none seemed to capture everything she felt. They had slept late, very late, and, by the time she finally got up, Daniel had already had a shower and prepared a surprising 'brunch'.

"You cooked all this on your own or did you have some help?" she asked entering her kitchen and suspecting a delivery guy had been by.

"All on my own," he smiled. "In college, I used to skip meals, avoid cooking for just myself, until one day I thought 'Heck, no. I'm going to fix me a good meal, for once,' and I enjoyed it. Every opportunity I have, I fix the best I can, even if it's just for me."

"You never told us that before. You've been sharing our ever-present pizza and Chinese take-out for years."

He shrugged. "I thought that was what you all preferred."

"Ah, Daniel. You still have a lot of secrets, eh?"

Daniel smiled and she sat down to eat. She was amazed at how at ease they were, as always, as if nothing had happened between them.

Right after midday, Daniel promised to cook something for the up-coming mission –anything would be better than the MREs, she thought– and left for his house.

She took a long bath and then she sat down against the headboard of her bed to think. She had learned much since the night before. She had discovered very important facts that had escaped her for years.

First, in a shallower note, she had discovered what it meant to be _worshipped_. She had heard a girlfriend in college use the term when talking about her boyfriend, but she had always thought it was an exaggeration. Now, she was certain of what her friend had meant and she was astonished that she could have gone all her life without getting to know the sensation. Even if Daniel and she never made love again, that had been an experience she believed would be difficult to top.

Second was the 'falling in love problem' Daniel had brought up the day before. She was certain now that it was not possible. She could not _fall _in love with Daniel. She already loved him more than that. She had gone far beyond the initial crush that usually brings couples together. What they had was a deeper love, one with solid foundations, which had gone through many hells and was still standing. She realized that she had been repressing any form of physical attraction for him for so many years –first, because of lost-Sha're, then dead-Sha're, then… surely something else– that she had convinced herself there was none. She had been proven wrong the night before; their chemistry had been beyond anything she had expected.

Then she worried that perhaps the same set of circumstances that had brought her up so close to Daniel, could have done the same for Jack and her or Teal'c and her. After all, they had been through all that together. Perhaps. She didn't know. In any case, Teal'c had found someone else; she did not need anyone to explain her what was going on with Ishta. Jack was a different matter; he was still available –granted, far away, but available– and she had been pining for him for ages. Though she had not lied to Daniel when talking about him before, these new developments had reopened that area of her feelings. She felt awfully confused. She would have to sort through all of it before seeing Daniel again on Monday.

She never had a chance. Late that night, she was called to the SGC along with the rest of SG-1 and they all crossed the gate into uncertain territory. When they finally made it back, on early Friday afternoon, they had countless scrapes and minor injuries to account for where they had been. The first thing that Sam noticed when she stepped onto the ramp in the gate room, was that Jack was standing there, at the end of the ramp, by General Landry's side. All the members of the team greeted him casually and he walked away to wait for them to come back from their physicals to the debriefing room. Even though there had been no awkwardness between Daniel and her during the mission, now she suddenly felt it solid standing between them. She could see in Daniel's eyes that he felt he had in some way betrayed his friend and was in need of getting forgiveness. That, she was not going to let happen. Daniel had done nothing wrong and she hadn't either.

During the debriefing Daniel kept his eyes mostly on the papers he had brought from the mission. Jack was his usual joking self and Cameron played his game to perfection. When the meeting was adjourned, Jack called Sam to Landry's office.

"Carter, I need your help with a couple of things I brought from the Pentagon. Would you mind if we go grab dinner and discuss them?"

She thought it was strange that he was inviting her to dinner to discuss matters that were probably highly classified. A couple of months before, she would have begged for this invitation. Now, she was not that certain.

"If we can do it a little later, sir," she said without betraying her feelings. Daniel and I have a date right after leaving the base." Jack visibly tensed up and was about to say something when she interrupted him. "Nothing serious, sir. Just a couple of hours. He takes me to the nursing home, we do our visit, and you can pick me up there near eight. Is that all right?" She smiled and he lost his train of thought.

"Okay," he said after a couple of seconds. "Write down the address and I will meet you there."

"Yes, sir." She scribbled the address on a paper pad, saluted and left the room.

As soon as she got into Daniel's car, Sam told him about Jack's invitation. After that, she made light conversation, but Daniel kept silent most of the time. The visit went very well. They had hired a young artist to teach the ladies how to do some mosaic pieces and they had as much fun as they did.

Near eight, Sam went to the restroom to clean up her hands and the ladies wondered why Daniel was not doing the same. Unusually punctual, Jack was there some minutes later to pick up Sam. "He's our boss," Daniel tried to soothe the unhappy ladies. "It's just work," he lied, as much to himself as to them. Neither believed it and, when he finally went home, he walked straight to his bed and hoped the fatigue of the week would take him soon.

Dottie was not ready to sleep. She had plans to make and soldiers to recruit. If this was going to be a battle, she was not about to lose it.


	3. Chapter 3

**A Lonely Lady** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel is feeling lonely and tries to find a solution.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**Lonely Lady**

**Chapter 3**

Sam was surprised that Jack had chosen a nice restaurant downtown and had skipped their usual place, O'Malley's. After ordering their dinners, there was an uncomfortable silence and she tried to break it.

"So, what brought you here, general?"

"For crying out loud, Sam, we're having a nice private dinner. Couldn't you just call me Jack?"

"Yes, sir," she smiled. "Yes, Jack."

"Better. Now you tell me, what are you and Danny-boy doing in the evenings?"

She thought it was interesting that he had changed the subject, but decided not to push. "Daniel started it. I think we was feeling lonely, or that he was not contributing enough, I don't know," –Jack made a gesture of understanding– "Yeah, I know, only Daniel… Anyway, he found this nursing home and he goes there every week to keep company to one of the ladies. He says he reminds him of his grandmother, Nick's wife."

"I don't know anything about her. Was she there in the picture when his parents died?" Jack asked.

"No; she had died before that."

"Let me guess; Daniel saw her die."

Sam seemed surprised. "Yeah." Jack nodded his head in confirmation. "She used to take care of Daniel while his parents where on the digs. She would stay in a city nearby and keep Daniel. She had an aneurysm when he was five. He called the emergency services. It looks like she had taught him how to do it in case there ever was an accident or so."

"I tell you, Sam, no breaks for that kid."

"He doesn't remember much else about her. After she passed away, he had to spend all the time in the digs with his parents, until, you know-"

"I know."

"In any case, visiting Dottie has helped him get some of the good memories back and he enjoys it a lot. I joined him three weeks ago and it's been fun. Daniel plans all these activities for them. Today he brought a young artist to help them do art with mosaics, you know? Those little-"

"I know what mosaics are, Sam."

"Yeah, those. I thought it was going to be hard, but he said 'Imagine you are building a piece of technology' and it was fun. You should have seen what _he_ did. I would have bought it in an instant if I had seen it in an art store. He was concentrating so hard-"

"Like when he handles an artifact," Jack supplied.

"Exactly. He gave the piece to Dottie; she was flabbergasted. The teacher was very impressed."

"And she was drooling for him like the nurses at the base."

Sam laughed. "Yeah, I thought so. But his piece was really good," she added with conviction.

"Danny-boy is always good at everything he does, isn't he?"

Sam smiled and nodded softly.

The meal arrived just then and they changed subjects. After dinner was finished and while they were waiting for dessert, Jack said, "Well, Sam, I'll tell you what brought me here today." Sam waited expectantly. "You know that we have to share the discoveries we make through the Program with other nations, right?" he said in a low voice.

"Yes, I know, I remember when the treaty was signed."

"Well, we've been thinking we need someone in Washington deciding exactly what and when to share-"

"I thought we couldn't choose-"

"Not really."

"Oh, I see."

"Yep. Anyway, we've thought _you_ would be perfect for that position. You know this technology better than anyone else, and you've been at Area 51… You would not be going _out_ anymore, you know," he made a gesture to avoid mentioning the gate, "but everything would pass through your hands before we _share_ it."

"I'm very honored, sir- Jack." She was surprised; she had not expected anything like it. "I enjoyed very much the years I spent working at the Pentagon. It would be great to go back to old friends and places."

"Well, you just have to say yes. You would be working with Colonel Davis."

"Do I get some time to think about it?"

"If you need to," he saw in her eyes that she was not decided. "I'll be back here in three weeks. You can tell me by then."

"That would be great, thank you."

They went on to lighter matters when the waiter came with the dessert and afterwards Jack took her home.

All the way home Sam was worried that Daniel could be waiting for her at her house. She knew it was an unfounded fear, because Daniel did not let himself into her house without a serious reason, but she still had butterflies in her stomach thinking about it. She was also worried about what Jack expected her to do. All those years of flirting could come to something tangible tonight, but suddenly, she was not ready.

She faked a yawn and then apologized. "I'm sorry. This week's mission was hard; it's just catching up with me."

Jack got the hint and said, "We're near now. I'll see you in and we'll talk in three weeks." She assented. A couple of minutes later he parked in front of her house; she got out and he said, "Hope you have a good night, Sam."

"Thank you, sir," she said, reverting to the official mode, "and thank you for the offer. I will think about it."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Sam decided to take the weekend to think things over and avoided calling Daniel during that time. She was surprised that he did not try to call her either. The mystery was solved on Monday when she discovered that Daniel and Teal'c had been sent on Saturday morning to Area 51 to help with the translation of a series of inscriptions found inside an artifact that had been previously unopened.

Her teammates did not return until Wednesday night and on Thursday morning SG-1 left on a mission derived from what they had discovered at Area 51. Before leaving, Daniel made sure that Walter would cover his Friday visit if he were not back on time. He was right. He not only did not come back by Friday, but when the team finally made it back, on Monday afternoon, Cameron and Daniel had been seriously injured.

While she sat between her two teammates' beds at the infirmary, keeping vigil the same way as Teal'c on the other side of Daniel's bed, Sam thought that if Daniel didn't make it –the thought scared her more than anything she had ever endured– she would immediately leave for Washington and never come back. She realized then that probably it was Daniel the reason why she couldn't make up her mind about D.C.

Going back to the Pentagon not only meant a new job and old friends; it obviously opened the possibility to a relationship with Jack. She was not certain that it was Jack's intention to pursue one. In any case, the move would clearly make it easier. Perhaps he had even created the position to allow her to be near him, but what if Jack simply continued his flirting game until the day he retired? Or even further. She had concluded a while ago that Jack would never be ready to start another relationship; had she been wrong?

Daniel stirred a little and Sam concentrated on him. Teal'c got up and went in search of Dr. Lam. Among all the tubes and devices attached to Daniel, Sam saw a blue pair of eyes blinking in the pale face.

"Hey, Danny. Don't try to talk; you have a tube in your throat. Dr. Lam is coming." She softly caressed his forehead and he closed his eyes. "Don't go back to sleep, please, stay with us." He blinked again and Teal'c approached them.

"Dr. Lam is coming. She was in the mess." Daniel looked at him and Teal'c understood what he wanted to know in an instant. "Colonel Mitchell is well. He was awake this morning. He is recovering from his injuries in the next bed."

Sam could see the relief in Daniel's face. It would never cease to amaze her how even in a daze Daniel could worry for others. Carolyn got there at that moment and the teammates left her with the patient. A while later she went back to look for them and found them outside the Infirmary.

"He's doing better. He's breathing on his own, so he doesn't need to be intubated. If he keeps healing from his injuries and there are no complications, perhaps I'll let you take him home for the weekend. Of course, he wants to leave now, but I told him that's not possible. His heart stopped twice yesterday, once before and once during surgery. We need to keep him here longer, until we know he'll do fine on his own."

Teal'c and Sam immediately started planning what to do. They finally settled on moving both Daniel and Cameron to Daniel's house, because it was far bigger than Cam's apartment. They would both move to the house until their friends did better and take care of them as long as necessary. Having them both in one house would reduce the efforts and simplify the tasks. Their military minds planned it all in detail.

By midday on Friday, they were all installed in Daniel's house. After lunch, while Cam and Daniel rested in their rooms, Sam and Teal'c set off to find a place for all the groceries and other supplies they had brought to the house. Because SG-1 would be on stand down while their teammates recovered, they had decided to limit their trips out of the house. It had been snowing all week and the weather didn't seem to be getting better.

Sam wanted to check on the patients before she put her own stuff away. Teal'c would be sleeping in the guest room, in the bed opposite Cam's, and she would do it on the day bed in the room Daniel had chosen for his home office. Cam was still sleeping, but when she entered Daniel's master bedroom she found that he was not there. She remembered clearly Carolyn's warnings about getting up and walking around, so she approached the bathroom door and knocked.

"Daniel, are you in there?"

"Yes."

"Are you all right? Do you need help?"

"I-" She heard a loud sigh and the door opened from the inside. "I need to wash my hair, Sam. I really do. It's driving me crazy. The nurses gave me a bath this morning, but my hair feels terrible and I'm not allowed to take a shower yet," he said with a frustrated tone.

"You are not allowed to get up, either, Daniel," she said with worry. Then she saw the discomfort on Daniel's face and she gave in. "Wait a second." She picked up a chair from Daniel's bedside and put it with its back against the sink. "There, sit in here. I'll wash your hair."

Daniel sat on the chair and reclined his head against the sink. Sam took care of his hair as fast as she could, then wrapped his head in a towel, and took him back to bed. She made him sit near the headboard and knelt on the bed to dry his hair.

"You make me feel like a child, Sam," he told her with a smile. "My mother used to do it this way."

"My mom, too," she smiled back. "There; you're done. Lean back and I'll fix your covers." He obeyed quietly. "Now, promise me you're not getting out of there unless it's an emergency."

"Yes, mom," he smiled again. Then he added, "Who's going to see Dottie today?"

"I will; don't worry. Now, take a nap. I'll come see you when I come back. Teal'c is in the next room with Cam. Call him if you need anything."

Daniel assented and closed his eyes. Sam silently left the room.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


	4. Chapter 4

**A Lonely Lady** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel is feeling lonely and tries to find a solution.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**Lonely Lady**

**Chapter 4**

"Well, hello, young lady. Haven't seen you for a while," Dottie said as soon as Sam entered the nursing home. "Is Daniel parking the car?"

"I'm afraid Daniel is not coming today either," Sam said while sitting near the old lady.

"Don't tell me he's working again. That young man who came last week, Walter, said he was not in the country at the moment. Is he still abroad?"

"Actually, he's back, but he was working in a war zone and he was injured," Sam replied, trying to keep the lying at a minimum and the cover stories intact.

"Oh, my goodness! Is it serious?" As soon as she said that, many of the other ladies in the room approached her. "Daniel has been injured!" she told the others. "Where is he? Can we visit him at the hospital? It's not too serious, is it?"

Sam felt sorry that she had worried the ladies so much. "It was serious, but he's doing much better. He's at home, and we, his friends, we are taking care of him and of another teammate who was injured, too."

"We have to go see him!" Dottie exclaimed. In seconds the ladies organized themselves and, while one was going to talk to the director of the nursing home to ask to be driven to Daniel's house in the home's van, others started gathering presents for Daniel and his wounded friend. Sam didn't even have time to react. She counted on the director to come and set things in order, but, to her surprise, the woman offered to drive a group of the ladies herself. She should have never underestimated Daniel's effect on people.

While everything was being prepared, Sam called Teal'c to alert him of the incoming invasion. As soon as she hung up, Dottie asked her to walk with her to her room to get some presents for Daniel. As they were walking, Dottie asked her.

"You were calling the handsome gentleman that came for you a couple of weeks ago?"

Sam felt uncomfortable with the intrusion in her private life; nevertheless, she decided to answer. "No, he's not in town this week. If he were, he would be helping Daniel, too."

Dottie asked, "Are they friends?"

"Best friends," Sam answered sincerely.

Dottie thought it was strange Daniel had not mentioned that 'little' detail. "That's good to hear," she said with a smile. "He surely is handsome, but not as much as Daniel," she pushed.

"Daniel is more than handsome; he's beautiful, inside-out," Sam answered without thinking too much. Then, she blushed and Dottie caught her.

"Yes, he is, but he seems very lonely, more so than us. He never talks about his family, his parents or anyone else."

"He doesn't have any family left. His parents died when he was very young," Sam explained.

"Ah… I see. I had a son, like him, a long time ago. He died young, in the war. He was a hero."

Sam felt her pain and tried to move the conversation on. "Daniel is a hero, too. He's saved many lives. He has this tendency to always think first of others."

"You can see it in his eyes, how he cares. They ought to give him a medal," Dottie added with a smile, "even if he's not military. I don't see him following orders," she chuckled.

"You're right; he's not good at that," Sam smiled, too. "He's gotten many medals in the last years, civilian medals; he just won't talk about that; besides, most of his work is classified."

"In times of war…" Dottie added.

"Yeah," Sam agreed.

They were now in front of the lady's room. She went in and came back with a neatly hand-knit blanket. "I made it for him. I was keeping it for Christmas, but I think this is a good occasion."

A few minutes later they were all in the road, six ladies in the van, following Sam's car. When they arrived to the house, Dottie, as she walked through the foyer and looked around at the neighboring rooms, exclaimed, "What a beautiful house, so warm and cozy, ready to start a big family!" and then gave a meaningful look at Sam. Sam smiled inwardly; she was starting to see through Dottie's words.

Teal'c had arranged Daniel's room like a visitation room. In the center was Daniel, still in bed. To his right, Cam sat in a comfortable armchair. One more armchair and an array of chairs were located by Cam and to Daniel's left hand.

The old ladies made a noisy and colorful entrance in the room, bearing their gifts for the sick. Cam smiled, surely remembering his family in North Carolina. Teal'c seemed intimidated and Sam thought he feared for Daniel's safety. He strategically positioned himself right by Daniel's bedside, ready to stop any surreptitious attack. No chairs remaining, Sam decided to sit on Daniel's bed, by his right.

"Oh, Samantha, dear, you have to make him try these socks. They are pure wool, handmade. They will protect him far better than those polyester things they sell these days," Greta, a seventy-five year old German lady, told her.

Sam, with a big smile, took the thick socks from her hands and, after removing the edge of Daniel's covers near his feet, proceeded to change his socks for the new ones. All the ladies sighed with happiness.

"Oh, that's much better!" Greta said. "I-"

"Don't they look adorable together?" Dottie interrupted her. "Look at them, the perfect couple!" she said while looking at Sam and Daniel. Daniel blushed noticeably. Cam found it very amusing.

"I was going to say," Greta tried again, "that I also have socks for Daniel's friends. They stretch," she said in a significant tone while looking at Teal'c as he received her gift. Teal'c inclined his head in a silent thank you. Then, she approached Cameron. "Do you need help, young man?" she said as she gave him his pair.

"I appreciate it, Ma'am, but I'm sure I can do this on my own," Cam responded with a smile.

Half an hour later, after having fixed some chicken soup for the sick men, they were all gone. Sam was certain that Teal'c had been the most stressed by the visit. She was rather positive old ladies did not behave that way in Chulak.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Saturday morning was very busy. Carolyn Lam and a couple of nurses came to the house to take care of Daniel and Cam. Everything was going fine and Carolyn left satisfied with the progress of her patients.

Lunch was special, as General Landry dropped by to see his flag team and brought an impressive meal from his favorite restaurant. After lunch, the house quieted. Sam and Teal'c finished putting the dishes in the dishwasher and went upstairs. Sam entered Daniel's room and noticed he was reading.

'Teal'c and Cam are watching a soccer game in the next room; Teal'c seems to enjoy it much better than hockey," she joked. "Would you like to watch, too?"

"No, Sam. I'm fine," he answered with a smile. Then he put the book on the bed and asked her, "You haven't told me what happened with Jack. Did he really need help?"

Sam was surprised by the question. She had not been thinking about it the last days. She suddenly realized that more than two weeks had passed since Jack's visit and she only had a few days to make up her mind. "Wow. It had completely slipped my mind!" She took a few minutes to explain Jack's offer and Daniel listened attentively, without showing any reaction.

"Have you decided if you will accept?" he finally said.

"No, I haven't made up my mind, yet."

"What's stopping you?" Daniel asked in the same neutral tone. "It's a chance to get closer to Jack. That's what you've always wanted."

"I used to; now, I'm not so sure."

"Why?"

"It would mean leaving the gate behind."

Daniel acknowledged it, but asked again. "Didn't you agree to that when you moved to Nevada?"

"It was not that definitive. I knew I could be back when it was necessary. And, anyway… I hated it!"

"You never told me that."

"And accept that I was wrong?" she laughed. "I think I have a lot more of my father in me than I'd like to admit", she smiled. "You tried to dissuade me and I didn't listen. Our telephone calls should have been a clue."

"Well, I did think that a daily two-hour phone call was strictly normal, but it wasn't that bad either. We used to spend most of our time together before you left."

"I wonder how expensive the telephone bill would have been if you had left with the Daedalus?"

"Don't think you could afford calling the Pegasus Galaxy," he smiled.

"Did I ever tell you that I owe Vala big time for keeping you here?" She changed her tone to a more serious one and added. "I know how much you wanted to go, but I think you still have much to do in this galaxy, and from a selfish point of view, I'm glad you are still here." She squeezed one of his hands with affection.

He lowered his head for a second to cover his blush and then said, "In any case, you'll have to forget the calls if you go to Washington, too. Can't imagine you telling Jack 'Wait a little bit more, sir. Still have ten more minutes in today's calling card,' and then going back to our conversation."

She hit him softly in the hand she had just been holding. "Oh, you're so mean."

"Seriously, Sam," Daniel changed his tone, too. "This is a big step, both in your career and in your personal life."

"My career will have similar chances if I stay here."

"But your life won't."

"I told you before; I don't know if Jack is what I want anymore."

"Why?"

"For one, I don't trust him anymore. I'm not sure he wants anything to do with me beyond the flirting."

"That would be a risk you'd have to take."

"Is it worth it?" Sam said full of doubt.

"You have to put in the scale what you could get against what you don't want to lose."

"I'm not sure what I could get, but I know very well what I don't want to lose."

"Crossing the gate?"

"That's like number three in the list."

"What's more important than that? Your research?"

"Yeah, my research. I wouldn't be doing that, just checking what others have done." Daniel nodded in understanding. "That's number two."

He looked at her and asked, "And number one?"

"You… You, and Teal'c, and Cam, and the whole SGC. The people, you know? I still don't know how Jack could leave us all behind."

"I know. That's the only thing I dreaded when I was getting ready to go to Atlantis. I suppose I would have been fine. I'm used to losing people," he added with a sigh.

There was an uncomfortable silence and then Sam said in a very low voice, "You'll think this is funny, but I'm also afraid that if Jack and I end up together, when we finally 'get together', he will not measure up to the way you made me feel."

"I knew it!" Daniel said with exasperation. "I knew we shouldn't have done it!"

"Don't say that," Sam warned him.

"I was right. Now it is stopping you from making one of the most important decisions of your life!"

"And you don't think it should have any weight in my decision?" Sam asked with anger in her voice, but still low so that their teammates in the other room wouldn't hear them.

"I think you have to forget all about it and move on with your life," Daniel said with a passionate gesture.

Sam felt indignant. She got up from the side of the bed and walked towards the door without looking at him.

"Sam," he said softly. She didn't turn and left the room extremely upset. Daniel lay back for a second and closed his eyes. What had he done? He had to talk to her but she was not coming back. He brusquely got up from the bed and a sharp pain almost doubled him. He got up in spite of the pain and opened the door of his room. From his position on the balcony he got to see Sam leaving the house through the front door. He leaned and yelled, "Sam!" but she closed the door and left. Seconds later, Daniel realized that the warm feeling on his side, where he was clutching his wounded abdomen, was blood seeping through the bandages. He suddenly felt weak and called for Teal'c.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

It was late on Saturday night when Sam finally got back to the house. The house was rather dark; only one faint light came from the den. As soon as she approached the room, she noticed Cam sitting in a sofa with a book in his hands.

"Sam. Where have you been? You haven't been answering your cell phone. Daniel said you had an errand to run, but he didn't know any details."

"Why? What happened?" Sam asked with alarm in her voice.

"Daniel reopened one of his wounds; we don't know exactly how." Sam's paled noticeably. "Teal'c found him on the balcony in front of his room, bleeding heavily."

"Is he all right?" She started running upstairs.

"Sam, wait," Cam stopped her. "Carolyn was here. She patched him up; she was thinking of taking him back to the Infirmary, but he was already very upset –we don't think it was because of the wound– and she thought it would be better to leave him just here. She gave him a sedative. He'll probably sleep until tomorrow. Caro will be back in the morning."

Cameron didn't add another word, but somehow Sam felt he was blaming her. He released her arm and she climbed the stairs slowly. When she entered Daniel's room, she saw Teal'c's silhouette in the faint light. He was sitting in the chair by Daniel's bed and he was holding one of his hands.

"His hand was cold," he said without moving. "I believe he needed a friend."

Sam felt guilty again. She was certain that Daniel had not said anything to Teal'c about their argument, but then again, Teal'c usually didn't need to be told. "I will take over, Teal'c," she said with a faint smile. "I'll stay with him all night. Go, have some rest."

"Do you need sustenance, SamanthaCarter?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. See you in the morning."

Teal'c inclined his head as a salute and left the room. Sam sat on the bed, by Daniel's side, and checked the subtle movement of his chest to ensure that he was breathing. She patently remembered a night, many years ago, when she had seen her sister-in-law check the rise and fall on her little one's chest during a feverish night of scarlet fever. Sam had remained quiet, but had questioned the usefulness of the mother's gesture. Now, she understood it completely. She was as terrified of losing Daniel as her sister had been of losing her son.


	5. Chapter 5

**A Lonely Lady** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel is feeling lonely and tries to find a solution.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**A Lonely Lady**

**Chapter 5**

The following morning, an hour earlier than usual, Teal'c got up to start preparing for the three teammates to move back to their own houses. After starting the coffee in the kitchen, he thought he ought to help Daniel as he had everyday since the injury. Daniel usually was awake by the time Teal'c went to his room and started him in his daily routine. Teal'c decided to try and help Daniel early so that he could then pack and participate in cleaning the house.

As he always did, he knocked softly on Daniel's door and then entered the room. In the poor early morning light he noticed that Daniel was still sleeping and soon after he saw Sam's sweater hanging from a chair. He moved backward towards the door as he tried to recognize the shapes on the bed. He quietly smiled and closed the door without a noise. When he came back, at his usual time, he knocked more forcefully and waited for Daniel to answer. Daniel was already alone.

"Ah, my friend. I'll have to start doing this on my own," Daniel said as he entered the room.

"I believe ColonelCarter will do it as well as I do."

"Ah, you heard our little discussion yesterday night," Daniel said with a shy smile.

"Indeed. I tried to avoid it, but you know my race has an extraordinarily sharp sense of hearing." Daniel nodded. "But I did not know about the results of your conversation until I came to see you early this morning, DanielJackson."

Daniel blushed deeply. He looked down and asked, "Do you mind?"

"I have been waiting for Samantha and you to get together for a long time, especially after Vis Uban. Your absence was extremely hard for her. I believed when we recovered you she would see the truth of her feelings."

Daniel was very surprised. "We're not sure it will work," he said with sadness.

"I trust it will, but you need to take your time and let all the walls that have been built during the years fall down on their own."

Daniel smiled softly. Leave it only to Teal'c to see beyond all of them.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

After Cameron and Teal'c left the house, Daniel and Sam felt weird and, for the first time in their lives, did not know how to behave around each other. Daniel felt an irresistible desire to go around the house hugging and kissing Sam, acting like a teenager with a crush, but he carefully avoided it. Sam found it easier to behave for fear of hurting Daniel, who was still healing from his injuries.

They tried different household tasks and reached some agreements. The laundry became Sam's territory –especially after Daniel insisted that all the clothes could go together into the washer– and she gave him a crash course on delicate knits, color catchers and color sorting. Daniel, who was unable to understand that Sam could not see a difference between butter and margarine or that she could call any cut of meat just "beef", quickly claimed the kitchen.

Teal'c came back for dinner, as agreed with Daniel, and surprised Sam with his comfort with their new relationship. The rest of the day passed pleasantly and they felt satisfied that it was working. The next morning, Sam woke up alone in bed, but heard music coming from the lower floor. She noticed that someone was playing the same piece on the piano, starting over or repeating a section every now and then. She went downstairs and found Daniel at the piano.

As soon as he saw her, he apologized. "I'm sorry, Sam. I didn't mean to wake you up. Unfortunately, I really need to practice."

"To practice for what?" she asked curiously.

"Sunday is one of the ladies' birthday. Mrs. Kursiewicz was born in Poland. She came here very young with her husband, who was a carpenter. All their family was born here and they still run the furniture store he started. They will celebrate her day with her on Sunday. I promised Dottie that I would play her favorite piece on the nursing home's piano today. I was afraid I wouldn't make it, but I'm fine now."

Sam smiled. Only Daniel would remember something like that. "What's her favorite piece?" she asked, unable to accurately identify what she had heard him play.

"Chopin's Polonaise No.6, most commonly known as 'Heroic'. Dottie wrote it on a paper so that she wouldn't forget."

"Well, it's beautiful and full of energy, but I can hear sadness in it, too."

"It's supposed to express the pain and longing Chopin felt for his country. He left when he was twenty years old and he was never able to go back, just like Mrs. Kursiewicz."

Sam couldn't avoid marveling at Daniel's capacity to empathize with others. She was certain that, every time he played the piece, he could feel the pain with which it had been written. When they finally made it to the nursing home, just looking at the expressive hug Mrs. Kursiewicz gave Daniel –while her eyes were full of tears– as he finished his short performance, was enough to make her understand that she was not the only one who could see Daniel's qualities.

Shortly after he played the piece on the piano, Daniel was asked to see the director of the nursing home in her office. Sam went with him. Once in there they were introduced to a polite gentleman who explained he was Dottie's lawyer. Daniel and Sam sat and patiently listened as the man talked. He explained that she had a small fortune and no heirs and that she had decided to leave her properties and valuables to the nursing home where she was so well taken care of. He also said that she had signed all the documents to do the transference of the titles and rights while she was still alive. Daniel was about to ask why this could concern him, when the attorney added that Dottie had separated a small portion of her possessions to give to him. Daniel was stunned and tried to refuse the gift, but every detail had been taken care of and they only needed his consent to send the items to his house. After they had finished with all the legal aspects, Daniel went to talk to Dottie. He found her back in her room.

"Did they explain it to you, Daniel?" she asked with a happy smile.

"You shouldn't have done that," Daniel emphasized as he sat in front of her.

"Why not? My son died long ago and, since my husband passed away two years ago, I have no one else. You've been like a son to me during these months that I've known you, and you've even spread your example-" she smiled mysteriously and Daniel, who had no clue about what she referring to, asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, that young man, your friend, the one who comes when you're not available, started coming on Wednesdays," she explained with a bigger smile.

"Walter?"

"Yes! That one. He said he had missed us the weeks you were here and asked permission to visit as often as he could." Daniel was speechless. "In any case," she continued, "I want you to have those things. I only have one more thing to give you. These were too small and I kept them to give them personally to you."

She handed him a small box and he opened it and looked at its contents. There were a few pieces of jewelry, some antique pens and other small pieces. He was about to give them back to her, when she stopped him again.

"No, you cannot give them back. They are already yours. Enjoy them, give them away, it doesn't matter, but they are yours."

Daniel expressed his gratitude to the lady and promised to take good care of all her gifts. During the following week, the rest of the presents arrived to Daniel's home. There were some paintings, a couple of small sculptures, some valuable books, and some other objects that Daniel found fascinating. It was clear that Daniel and Dottie shared a similar taste and he enjoyed finding an appropriate place in his house for the items, with the help of Sam.

On Friday morning, he planned to take Dottie for a nice dinner and then bring her to his house to see how he had arranged his gifts around the place. He suddenly found himself thinking of how Dottie had explained her relationship with her late husband and how he felt the same way about Sam. "Soul mates," Dottie had said. It was the perfect word for Sam and himself, too. The week they had spent in such proximity had taught him that they would be able to work out any problem they could have in the future. There was too much love between them not to be able to do it. He got out of his home office and went to his bedroom, where he still had some of the presents from Dottie. He searched in his nightstand drawer and found the small box that she had given him. He took a smaller box from it and went downstairs looking for Sam. He found her in the den, sitting on the sofa, covered with a soft throw, intently reading a book.

He knelt on the floor by her and she looked at him. 'What are you reading?" he asked her.

"One of your books." She showed it to him. "I didn't know you read poems. I never paid too much attention to literature in school, but this is fascinating," she said with a smile.

"It helps immensely to be in love to appreciate the feeling in some poems," Daniel said, smiling too.

Sam blushed and Daniel took one of her hands in his. "Sam, I asked you to try this relationship with me and in spite of only having a week to do this, I think it's working, working very well." He paused and she nodded in understanding. "I want to show you something." He opened the little box he had brought from upstairs and showed her a ring inside of it. " These three stones in the center, they are blue sapphires; that is the most well known color of sapphires," he added. "These others," he showed four smaller stones flanking the sapphires, "are called tanzanites, because they are only found in Tanzania. This ring belonged to Dottie; it's not extremely expensive, but as soon as I looked at it, the only thing I could think of were your eyes. These are the colors of your eyes; dark as the sapphires when you're passionate about something; clear as the tanzanites whenever you smile. I don't want to ever be far from them again. Would you, please," he said as he took the ring from the box and offered it to her, "and I will beg as much as it will make you happy, marry me, as soon as possible, anywhere, however you chose to do it-"

She interrupted him with her fingers on his lips. "Yes!" she only said. She let him put the ring on her hand and then leaned down to hug him. They were both crying, but she was happy that she didn't have to be a soldier with him.

Later that day, when they took Dottie to dinner and while Daniel was parking the car, Sam told her about the proposal. Dottie simply said, "Well, I knew he would do it one day or another. I just thought that if I gave him something to think about he would do it sooner. You won't believe it –and Daniel doesn't know about it– but that's the ring my husband gave me for our fiftieth anniversary, and he chose it because of the color of my eyes. I was certain that Daniel would see you in it as my Edward saw me. I'm glad it worked." She smiled and Sam hugged her. She thought that someday in the future she could pass her ring to another young man and hope that he saw the eyes of the woman he loved on its blue stones. In any case, until then, she would wear it every day, because, for her, those were simply the image of Daniel's eyes.


End file.
